


To the Sun, To the Sea

by serendicity



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Blood and Violence, Confused Gay Feelings, Dark Past, Demisexual Zuko, Eventual Smut, Jet triggers Zuko's sexual awakening, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Road Trips, Romance, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, bisexual Jet, oof lots of heavy themes but I promise there's sappy and lighthearted moments too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:21:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25273087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendicity/pseuds/serendicity
Summary: Feeling fed up with the life he was expected to live, Zuko leaves one night with nothing but the clothes on his back. As a consequence of his impulsivity and lack of preparedness, some unfortunate circumstances leave him stranded with no backup plan. He ends up meeting someone who takes his life in an entirely unexpected direction.
Relationships: Jet/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 48
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So like many others, I binge watched ATLA when it came out on Netflix and fell totally in love with this ship (as I tend to do with characters who have extremely limited interaction). I just love their dynamic and what could have been so I decided to take the AU route and my brain ran away with the concept of them meeting each other in the American Southwest and going on what's essentially one big road trip. I felt really inspired after reading some other works for this pairing and wanted to contribute, because I just couldn't resist. The content warning is fairly light as I won't be going into too much detail with the violent scenes, but I figured it's better to be safe.
> 
> Some background info:  
> Zuko is 21 and Jet is 25. Zuko still has his scar and wears his hair similar to how he has it in most of season 3. I tried to do as many parallels to the source material as possible, but I did take a few liberties (you'll see ;D). The scenes that are in all italics are flashbacks. I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed writing this so far! Oh, and the title is based on the song "Eyes" by Rufus du Sol which also heavily inspired this brainchild.

This hadn’t been part of the plan. If “plan” was even the right word for the impressively terrible decisions he’d made in the last 24 hours. Maybe this was all just a bad dream, but part of him didn’t want to wake up to face the reality he’d left behind. To be honest, he wasn’t really sure which scenario was worse.

Zuko sat at the counter of the nearest establishment he could get to on foot, a local dive bar which felt cramped inside and was decorated with tacky southwestern memorabilia. It at least gave him temporary shelter from the harsh and unrelenting heat of the desert sun. He was used to warm temperatures from living in Los Angeles but this was an entirely different kind of heat. It baked you from the inside out and made you swear up and down to the heavens to never take AC or water for granted ever again. He watched the beads of liquid forming on the outside of his glass roll down and pool together at the base. Even the water itself looked like it was melting.

“You look like you’ve had a rough day,” came the voice of a stranger who took a seat at the bar stool beside him, leaning his weight into his elbow which he had propped up against the probably sticky wooden counter.

Zuko kept his head down, not really in the mood to be chatting with the locals. “Yeah.”

The man beside him quietly gave him a thorough once-over. “You’re not from around here are you,” he said, leaning forward to get a better look at Zuko’s face. He was facing his unmarred side so as far as he could tell he didn’t notice the scar on his other side.

Zuko caught him through the corner of his eye but kept his head forward.

“Lemme guess. Ran out of gas and had to walk 20 miles to find any level of civilization? Happens all the time, don’t sweat it.”

Zuko turned to face him partially, irritated. “Not exactly. Don’t know why it’s any of your business though,” he replied with a hint of poison on his tongue.

The man next to him raised his hands, mocking surrender. “Not the warm and friendly type, got it. Just wanted to offer some help if you needed it,” he said. Now that Zuko was looking at him, he could see that he had wild looking brown hair and tanned skin. His face was striking, handsome even, at least maybe that’s what he’d think if he were a girl. He was wearing a distressed military inspired jacket over a black tank top. He had holes in his jeans, but the kind that looked like they were actually from repeated wear, not the kind that you bought off the rack as an overpriced fashion trend. A wooden toothpick poked out from his chapped lips.

“Of course, if you don’t need my help then that’s up to you,” he said in a syrupy sweet voice, leaning back as he twisted the toothpick in his mouth with his fingertips; staring him down the whole time. This man _oozed_ charisma. He was kind of jealous how well it was working on him to be honest. Maybe he could actually learn a thing or two from him. People did always tend to tell him he was too uptight, although he didn’t necessarily agree with that.

Zuko thumbed the condensation around the rim of his glass as he deliberated, even though he wasn’t really in the position to be picky right now. Hitching a ride with a complete stranger was quite frankly his only option given the circumstances. _What could possibly go wrong?_ he mused, sarcasm evident. Either way, the man seemed pleasant enough, albeit a bit show-offy, but it beat wasting away in the desert pathetic and alone without a clue as to what he was doing with his life.

“Fine. I’ll take you up on your offer,” Zuko replied, tipping his head back to finish the glass of water that was in front of him.

The stranger seemed satisfied, maybe even a little excited. Who gets excited over picking up strangers? Maybe he _should_ be worried.

“Name’s Jet. What should I call you?” the brunette asked, standing up and extending his hand. He was taller than he was expecting.

Feeling as though he probably shouldn’t be giving out his real name to just anyone, he came up with one on the spot. “Li,” he replied, cautiously taking his hand in his own and giving it a cursory shake; his face placid.

Jet appeared to be trying to memorize it and grinned. “Well then. Shall we?”

Zuko nodded and they headed out of the dive bar and into the small parking lot out front. The asphalt looked distorted and wavy beneath the hot summer air. When they reached Jet’s car, he looked to Zuko with a smirk. “She’s a beauty, huh?”

Zuko ran his hair through his fringe idly, glancing at the vehicle they stood beside. It seemed to be some kind of vintage muscle car. “I mean, yeah it’s pretty nice I guess,” he said, lacking overt enthusiasm.

Jet looked borderline offended. “ _Pretty_ _nice_? This thing has gotten me through the best and worst times of my life. I freaking love this car,” Jet said, placing his hand on the roof appreciatively. “Hell of a lotta fun to drive too,” he added, looking at Zuko with another wolfish smile.

“Why don’t you just marry it then,” Zuko stated plainly.

Jet stared at him before he burst into an amused laugh. “So you do have a sense of humor, that’s good to know,” he said, giving him one last smirk before opening the driver’s side door and getting inside. Zuko followed suit and settled into the passenger’s seat, finding the seatbelt and subtly taking in his surroundings.

The interior of the car was fairly well-kept but had obvious signs of ageing that were likely unavoidable. It did have a kind of charm to it. Hanging from the rear view mirror was what looked like a jade pendant, which he wouldn’t have expected to be Jet’s taste just from looking at him.

“So, I’m guessing you need me to take you to a gas station? Where’d you leave your car?” The other man asked, turning his keys in the ignition and pulling out a pair of sunglasses as well as what appeared to be driving gloves.

Oh. Right. “Yeah, about that…” Zuko started, looking out the window with unavoidable remorse. “It sorta… got stolen,” he breathed out, his heart sinking at the stark reminder of how badly he’d fucked up.

“ _Shit…_ ” Jet paused, leaning back in his seat. “That _really_ sucks man, sorry…” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, presumably trying to figure out what to do with his sorry ass now. He rubbed at his lips in thought, Zuko’s eyes briefly following the gesture before glancing back down at his own lap in shame.

“Guess I was right about you having a shitty day huh,” the other man said, his voice taking on a more playful tone. He pulled the leather fingerless gloves on and rested his elbow against the steering wheel in a similar fashion to how he sat when they first encountered each other. “Well, my offer still stands. Where ya headin’ to? I’ll take you as far as I can,” he proposed, and Zuko almost felt as if he was being crushed under the weight of the seemingly effortless coolness of the man sitting behind the wheel. He knew that he wasn’t into men, but for a fleeting moment even his own sexuality came into question. He’d probably had countless girlfriends.

“…So…” Jet started, his voice snapping him out of his weird daydream.

Zuko blinked, suddenly feeling hot. “S-sorry. I, uh… To be honest I don’t really know where I’m going,” he blurted out awkwardly, feeling acutely more embarrassed as the day went on.

Jet chewed on the end of the toothpick resting in the seam of his lips before grinning. “Well, this just got more interesting. Hey, have you eaten? We can figure something out over some food. It’s on me.”

Zuko looked at him with wide eyes. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’ve already taken enough of your time,” he said, stammering over his words.

Jet flashed him another one of those smiles that could probably stop the Earth from spinning and placed his hand on the gear shifter. “For someone as pretty as you, I have all the time in the world.”

Before Zuko could even open his mouth to reply to his unexpected remark Jet was backing the car up and practically peeling out of the parking lot.

-

As they drove Zuko’s mind was racing with too many thoughts; about how stupid he was for letting the expensive car his dad bought for him get stolen, for dropping out of school, for leaving his girlfriend behind without an explanation, for getting into a car with a total stranger who was now apparently hitting on him, for always doing things without having a plan like his uncle had said many times before.

“You ran away, didn’t you?” Jet asked out of nowhere, his accuracy making Zuko flinch.

“…How’d you know?” Zuko replied, looking out the window as the muted greens and vivid oranges of the desert scenery whooshed by like paints being smeared across a canvas with a palette knife.

Jet just chuckled. “I can tell. It’s written all over you. I could see it in your eyes when I first met you.”

Zuko felt himself blushing again. He wasn’t great at being vulnerable and hated when people could pick up on things that he actively tried to hide.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Sometime’s running away is all you can really do,” he said, his voice taking on a more serious tone as he spoke. “You don’t have to give me all the details. It’s none of my business really, like you said.”

Zuko continued watching out the window, but his eyes weren’t focused on anything in particular.

“You should be more careful though. Traveling alone around here can get you into all sorts of trouble, which I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of by now. Especially with a pretty face like that,” he added, smirking.

Zuko frowned, side eyeing him. What was up with the flirting? Come to think of it, Jet didn’t even seem to acknowledge his scar. Maybe he was just being polite. ‘Pretty’ wasn’t exactly the word that came to mind when he looked at his own reflection. What he usually saw was more along the lines of ‘fuckup’ or ‘disgraceful’ or ‘pathetic.’

Before his sour mood worsened the car stopped and they were parked in front of a small diner with a chrome exterior. It was almost blinding in the sunlight.

“Come on, I’m sure you’ll feel better once you have something to eat,” Jet said, turning off the car. Zuko briefly considered telling him that he didn’t need to help him anymore and that they could just part ways here but he was trying to be less of a loner, even though he _did_ basically just run away from everyone who cared about him.

Giving in, he nodded and they went inside to grab some food.

-

They ended up sitting at a table near the back against the windowed side of the building. Zuko looked almost like a lost pet sitting in there in the booth, his shoulders tensed and his eyes continually keeping tabs on his surroundings.

“You act like you’ve never been to a diner before,” Jet spoke, leaning forward on his elbows with an amused look on his face.

Zuko scratched at the back of his neck. “I haven’t, actually,” he admitted. It was true, these kinds of places existed back home but he never had much of an interest in going to one. He was also pretty sure he’d never even stepped foot near a restaurant where you didn’t have to wait to be seated by a host or hostess.

Jet raised his eyebrows. “Seriously? You _really_ aren’t from around here, huh,” he replied, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. He was doing that thing again, where it felt like he was trying to read him. Zuko didn’t like it.

He rested his chin on his palm and looked away, pretending to observe the landscape outside. Jet just smirked. He could easily see that Zuko was the type who wouldn’t reveal much about himself right away but for Jet that only made him that much more intriguing.

“Alright then, well what do you like to eat?” the brunette asked, idly tonguing at the toothpick in his mouth.

Considering his upbringing and what he was used to having access to, he knew that any truthful answer he gave him would probably just make him sound pretentious. “Steak is good,” he mumbled; that seemed like a safe enough response for now.

Jet hummed in agreement. “I can get on board with that, although…” he started, leaning forward to talk to him more discreetly. “You probably don’t wanna get that from here… trust me.”

Zuko glanced at him and shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it then. I’ll just have whatever you have,” he decided, knowing that Jet was probably right.

“If you say so,” the other man replied, catching one of the waitresses and putting in their order. He couldn’t help but notice how much the waitress seemed to smile when Jet talked to her. Jet seemed to like the attention as well at which Zuko just rolled his eyes. Was there anyone this guy _didn’t_ flirt with?

“So Li,” the brunette started, sprawling out more comfortably in the booth. “What brought you out this way anyway?”

Zuko folded his arms over his chest. If he was being honest with himself even he didn’t know exactly how to answer that. “Just wanted to get away, I guess.”

“Hmm.” Jet rubbed his lower lip in passive observation. “Life got ya pinned into a corner, huh?”

“Yeah.” Mulling over his words, he was admittedly starting to feel more than a little guilty. Not that he wasn’t already after losing his car, wallet, and only means of communication. “You could say that.”

The way Jet was looking at him made him feel somewhat on edge; he had an intensity to his eyes that made it seem as though he could pinpoint his every insecurity without even having to say anything. Like he could see right through him. He felt… exposed. Or something along those lines. He couldn’t quite put a name to the sensation that lingered at the top of his gut. Other than the obvious hunger from not eating anything since he was carjacked and came crawling into this town with his tail metaphorically between his legs.

“You must have been through a lot.” Again with that weighted stare. Maybe it was the eyebrows. “If it’s any consolation, you’re welcome to tag along with me until you figure out your next move. We should probably go to the local station to report that your car was stolen though.”

Zuko nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

Their food arrived shortly after and Zuko distinctly recalls how his stomach turned when he saw how much grease was on his plate. Jet found his reaction entertaining, apparently. If he hadn’t been so hungry he probably would have asked them to take it back and wait until he could get his hands on something that wasn’t deep fried and smothered in cheese.

After they finished eating and making small talk (Jet did most of the talking) Zuko thanked him for buying him lunch even if it did make him feel mildly nauseated afterwards. He was half expecting Jet to give the waitress his number before they left but for whatever reason he didn’t. Maybe they already had a history together. Who knows. Why was he even speculating all this anyway? It’s not like any of it made any difference to him. Whatever.

-

Jet wasn’t quite as chatty during the drive to the local police precinct; his demeanor seemed to have shifted for some reason. Something must have been on his mind. Or maybe he was still trying to figure out what to with this stranger he just picked up. Either way, the drive to the nearest station didn’t take nearly as long as Zuko was expecting it to. It must have been no more than 5 minutes.

Jet pulled up to a spot across the street and stopped the car. “I’ll wait for you back here. Take your time and don’t leave out any details, OK?” he said, resting his arms against the steering wheel. Zuko got out and headed inside, knowing that Jet could have easily just ditched him here but had a sense that he was being upfront when he said he’d wait for him until he was done. Why was it that a complete stranger was showing him more kindness and generosity than his own friends or family ever showed him back home?

Jet watched him disappear through the front glass doors and reclined partially in his seat, pulling his sunglasses back down while keeping an eye on his surroundings.

-

_“Hurry up and do it already!!” shouted a brutish young man who looked to be in his late teens or early 20s. He hoisted a heavy black duffle bag over his shoulder assisted by one other guy who carried additional luggage, all full to the brim as they filed into a nearby car that was still running._

_“Just take what you need and leave, please! I swear I won’t tell him!”_

_Jet’s hand shook as he kept the barrel of a SIG 1911 pointed at the shopkeeper’s head. He knew that if he didn’t do this there would be loose ends and they’d all be living with targets pinned on their backs. And not just by the police._

_“I’ve cleared the security cameras, let’s go!” came a female voice, running past him towards the entrance._

_He hesitated, trembling. ‘I can’t… I can’t do it…’ he thought, feeling beads of sweat trickle down his brows._

_BANG_

_He looked down at his own hand, swearing that he hadn’t actually fired the gun. The shopkeeper fell to the floor in a pool of blood, lifeless. All he could hear was ringing in his ears._

_“I said, let’s GO!” the same woman from before called out, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him outside to their getaway vehicle._

_“For fuck’s sake Jet, you’re gonna get us all killed! Were you even paying attention during the briefing?” she scolded, re-holstering her gun and guiding him into the car after stealing the 1911 from his hand. “I’m hanging onto this until you can learn how to properly use a gun. How many times do we have to go through this? If we let him live the cops would’ve been the least of our worries.”_

_Jet remained silent, his ears still ringing. The image of a pool of blood extending past his field of vision played through his mind until the polished marble floor his recent memory conjured was completely covered in red. The ringing didn’t stop for days._

-

At some point he noticed through his periphery that Zuko had returned and was waving his hand outside the window to get his attention. Just how long had he been spacing out? Startled, he quickly sat up and leaned over to open the passenger’s side door for him.

“Sorry about that. Must’ve been daydreaming,” the brunette said, adjusting the toothpick in his mouth.

Zuko slid into the seat, closing the door on his way in. “It’s ok... I would have tapped on the window but I didn’t want to scare you,” he replied.

Jet gestured dismissively. “It’s fine. So, you tell ‘em everything they need to know?”

Zuko nodded and adjusted his seatbelt. “Although… Since I don’t have my phone anymore, I didn’t know whose number to give them.” He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Oh, shit. Well hey, you’re welcome to use my phone until you’re able to get another one. We can call the station later and you can give them this number.” He felt a bit uneasy about the police having his personal phone number, but he supposed he could always just get a new number later on. Besides, it seemed like Li didn’t really have any other option at the moment. Speaking of…

“You think anyone’s gonna come looking for you? I’m sure there are people who are worried about you,” Jet queried, his eyes looking on him with careful scrutiny.

He was right, there were a couple people that came to mind. His uncle Iroh and Mai. He didn’t live with his uncle anymore though so it would probably be at least a couple days until he found out he was missing. Mai on the other hand was likely already worried and angry with him, which wasn’t too far outside of the norm anyway. His father would just be angry and disappointed, which also wasn’t out of the ordinary.

“Maybe… Although that was bound to happen even without having my things stolen. I sorta left without telling anyone.”

Jet quietly pondered his situation. He could relate. It had only been a few years since he essentially ran away from his own problems. Maybe they had more in common than either of them initially realized.

“Well, until then, you’re welcome to crash at my place until you figure out your next move. You can take my bedroom since there’s more privacy and I’ll sleep on the couch.” Zuko opened his mouth to protest but Jet cut him off before he could get a word out. “I know what you’re gonna say, but I insist. I was in your shoes not long ago. Going at things alone isn’t always the best idea. Besides, us outcasts gotta stick together, yeah?” he finished, flashing him a lopsided grin.

Zuko silently considered his proposal, figuring that sticking together was probably the best option right now, given how things had turned out just a few hours ago when he was driving alone. The sun was starting to set as well. More time must have passed than he had thought.

“It’s not the fanciest apartment in the world but it’s decent enough, and there’s hot water in the shower attached to the bedroom if you need to clean up.”

Zuko felt his face heat up, feeling overwhelmed by Jet’s hospitality. He couldn’t recall anyone going this far out of their way to accommodate him from recent _or_ past memory. Perhaps this was life’s way of finally turning his luck around. Or maybe Jet was going to murder him in his sleep tonight. Either way, he was growing more and more tired and Jet’s small but notable acts of kindness were enough to seal the deal.

“Okay,” he said, giving the brunette a subtle smile. It might have been the first time he smiled all day. Maybe even all month.

Jet grinned back. “Then it’s settled.”

Zuko wanted to ask him why he was being so nice to someone he just met, why he didn’t just drop him off at a motel, why he was even offering to help him at all, but the exhaustion from the past 24 hours crept over him like the tide on a full moon and settled heavy against his chest.

He may or may not have dozed off on the car ride back to Jet’s apartment. And Jet may or may not have felt more at peace having Li’s company around (even if he wasn’t conscious) than he had in the past 10 years.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jet takes Zuko back to his apartment for the night until Zuko decides what he wants to do next. Zuko does some investigating and isn't quite sure what to make of what he finds. Why does he care anyway?

When Zuko opened his eyes again the car was stopped, hazy blue and purple tones filtering over their surroundsings indicating that was dusk out. The sudden lack of road noise must have woken him up.

“Hey sleepyhead,” Jet teased, in his typical overly-familiar fashion. He really was the friendly type, even with complete strangers. To Zuko it seemed odd. It certainly wasn’t something he was used to.

He adjusted himself in his seat to sit more upright, rubbing over his eyes with the heel of his palm. “Sorry… I guess I’m pretty tired,” Zuko said, tears prickling the corners of his eyes as he fought back a yawn.

“That’s understandable,” Jet replied, fiddling with his toothpick. “I would be too after the day you’ve had.”

Zuko made a noise that resembled a tired hum.

“Well, you’re in luck, because there’s a relatively comfy bed waiting for you,” the brunette added, grinning at him.

Ugh. When he looked at him like that it made Zuko prefer to sleep in the car. Although, comfy did sound nice…

“Come on. I’ll show you where everything is and then you’re free to pass out for the rest of the night.”

Zuko gave a small nod, getting out of the car and following him up a flight of concrete steps to his apartment.

Suddenly feeling a tad self-conscious, Jet glimpsed back at him over his shoulder briefly before fumbling with his keys to unlock the front door. “Try not to judge me too harshly if anything seems out of place… I wasn’t exactly planning to have company over tonight,” he confessed.

They went inside and Zuko took a moment to survey his surroundings. It was certainly clean _enough_ and you could tell that someone lived there but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He never was a fan of those homes that looked like they were straight out of a design catalog anyway. They were too sterile and lacked personality. Maybe it reminded him too much of his own home growing up. Everything was always spotless and put neatly in its place. And if it wasn’t then the maids would handle it or he’d be scolded by his father. Jet’s apartment was about what you would expect for a 20-something year old who presumably lived alone. It was kind of refreshing, actually.

“It’s nice,” Zuko told him, realizing after it was too late that he might have accidentally come off as patronizing.

Jet snorted. “I’ll take it I guess,” he said, setting his keys down. He scratched at the back of his head, deliberating over something it seemed.

“Uh, hang on a second.” He swiftly crossed the room towards what Zuko assumed was his bedroom and peeked inside, leaning forward into the doorway. He disappeared inside for a brief moment and Zuko stood in the living room area, rubbing the side of his arm while trying to make himself look preoccupied. Sleeping over at a total stranger’s home wasn’t exactly his idea of, well, a _good_ idea, but he supposed it was his own fault for ending up in this mess. If he had just planned better maybe none of this would have happened in the first place.

Jet reappeared a few minutes later after checking over his room to make sure it was in a presentable enough state. “Sorry about that, everything’s all set for you though. Oh, one more thing,” he started, walking over to stand by Zuko. He pulled out his phone and typed for a moment before handing it over. “You should probably call the station back and give them this number in case they find your car.”

Zuko blinked and nodded in agreement, taking the phone in his hand and looking to see that Jet had already pulled the number for him up off the Web.

He pressed the button to dial the number and Jet gave him a quick thumbs up before slipping away into the kitchen area. Zuko’s eyes followed him inconspicuously while he spoke with the police department. They took down the number he was calling from and let him know that they’d call back if and when they had any news.

When he finished he hung up and walked over to Jet, awkwardly holding out his phone to return it to him. Jet glanced up from what he was doing and took it back, placing it in his back pants pocket.

“I guess that’s about all we can do for now,” he said, turning towards him and placing his hands on his hips.

Shit, he’d nearly forgotten.

“Oh, would you happen to have a computer I can borrow? I should probably cancel my credit cards…” Zuko mumbled, rubbing his arm again self-consciously.

Jet perked up at his request. “Right, that’s probably a good idea,” he said, crossing the room to boot up his laptop and log in. “All yours,” he said, standing up and walking back towards the kitchen area.

“Thanks,” Zuko replied, ducking his head shyly and moving to sit down at his laptop to deal with his bank.

“Oh wait, you’ll probably need this too,” Jet halted him before he turned around, handing him back his phone. “The passcode is 5238 in case it locks up on you.”

Zuko looked surprised.

Jet smirked. “Don’t worry, I can always change it later. You don’t look like the type to try to try any funny business anyway,” he teased, winking. Was that an assumption or a threat…?

He blinked and nodded, muttering another “thanks.”

While Li was handling his financial situation Jet decided it was probably best to give him a little privacy.

“Hey, I’m gonna run out real quick and grab some things. Need anything?” He asked from the other side of the room, pulling out a new toothpick from of his pocket and placing it in the corner of his mouth.

Zuko looked up at him from where he was seated, shaking his head politely.

Jet gave him a lopsided smile. “Alright, then I’ll be back in a bit. There’s a guest bathroom on the left over there if you need it and when you’re ready to turn in the bedroom’s just through that door,” he said, gesturing to where he’d gone into earlier. “The shower is right there on the left when you come through the door, you can’t miss it,” he finished, grabbing his keys and twirling them around his finger in an effortless motion.

Zuko just gave a small nod, turning his attention back to the computer screen.

Jet kept an eye on him for a moment longer before making his way out the door. Zuko heard the sound of the door being locked from the other side and his footsteps on the stairs until they faded into quiet.

He reached for Jet’s phone that he left for him after he’d logged into his bank account, typing in the passcode he told him. Something in the back of his mind stirred his inner curiosity, like a whisper in the dark, but he quickly reacted with disproval. No, that was a major invasion of privacy. He couldn’t even believe the thought crossed his mind, fleeting as it may have been.

But…

It _was_ strange. This whole situation. Jet. He wanted to trust him, but he’d also just met him and for all he knew he could be some kind of serial killer. Or a degenerate. Whatever that may be. A few possibilities flashed through his mind, as if to convince himself that what he was about to do was justified, and that he was just taking an extra precaution. It was for his own safety. You couldn’t be too careful, like Jet told him earlier.

Almost as though his hand had a mind of its own, he scrolled through the different icons on the screen with his thumb until he found the Photos section. Feeling his nerves light up with uncertainty, he swiped through the gallery, not really quite sure what it was that he was even looking for. He felt as though he would know when he saw it though. Human instinct was a powerful thing.

Surprisingly, most of the pictures he found were pretty boring, like the kind of pictures Mai would take. A couple of the sunset, some things that were out of focus that he could barely decipher (he definitely wasn’t a photographer), a dog? And… Wait. There was something. A girl.

He brought the phone closer to his face, squinting slightly to make out the details in the image. She had straight black hair parted to one side that went just past her shoulders, fair skin, and dark eye makeup. Were those tattoos on her shoulders? The photo was too dark to tell what the tattoos were of. She was gorgeous nonetheless. It wasn’t entirely surprising that Jet was hanging around pretty girls though.

He continued swiping, blushing when he came across one particularly incriminating photo. It was clearly an intimate moment and the same girl was on his bed (or maybe her bed? Who knows) laying on her stomach in nothing but lacy underwear. A couple more swipes and Zuko quickly put the phone down as if it was about to catch on fire.

This was wrong. Just what had gotten into him? Going through someone’s personal photos was the kind of thing a stalker did, not something you did to someone who had been generous enough to provide you with food and shelter when you had nowhere else to go. He shook his head and grimaced, unable to stop the skin-crawling feeling that manifested shortly thereafter.

 _Okay, go back to what you were supposed to be doing Zuko,_ he thought to himself, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. Taking a heavy breath, he picked the phone back up to dial the number on the screen, which now read ‘Logged out due to inactivity.’

He growled in frustration and carded his hand through his hair in an effort to center himself before re-typing his username and password to access his bank info.

After several minutes of going through automated prompts and being put on hold, he was finally able to reach a representative and start the cancellation process. When the customer support associate on the other end of the line asked where to send his new cards to, he hesitated.

Shit.

The only place he’d be able to send them to is back home which he wasn’t exactly planning on returning to any time soon. Although, considering his situation, maybe he should. Maybe all of this happening was just a sign that he never should have left in the first place and that he was clearly incapable of handling himself on his own. He pictured his uncle, giving him one of his many lectures about how he should ask for help when he needed it and not to always run off to do things on his own. He _really_ hated when Iroh was right.

 _“Sir…?”_ the muffled and faceless voice from the speaker queried, pulling him out of his train of thought.

“Sorry, yeah, just send them to my address on file,” Zuko replied, pressing his fingers into the tension in his shoulder. The representative confirmed his address with him and was told that his new cards would be mailed to him within one to two weeks.

 _Perfect,_ he thought, fingers touching his forehead in a state of dejection. _Zuko, you absolute idiot._

He ended the call and logged out before closing Jet’s laptop. What was he going to do about money until then? He couldn’t possibly put Jet out any more than he already had. Ruffling his hair up angrily and making another frustrated sound, he came to the conclusion that his only option right now was to go back home to confront reality. As much as he really, _really_ didn’t want to. How would he get there though? When he left the day before it was night time and he’d been driving for at least 5 or 6 hours until his car was stolen. There was no way Jet would be willing to drive him back that far without having any means to compensate him for time and gas.

He’d made a lot of ill-informed choices in his life but this was by far his biggest and most glaringly terrible decision to date. He should have just done what normal people do and started going to therapy instead of impulsively leaving in the middle of the night as if that was going to solve any of his problems. What did he even expect to find out here anyway? There was nothing but sand and dirt. As symbolic as finding oneself in the desert sounded the reality was much more uninspired. Who intentionally chooses to live in a place like this anyway? _Well, Jet I guess,_ he mused. To each their own he supposed.

Taking another deep breath, he decided it was probably time to put an end to this weird and stressful day and clean up before getting some rest. His limbs felt heavy with the weight of exhaustion coupled with prolonged sun and heat exposure from earlier. He stood up with a small, resigned grunt and padded over towards the bedroom to start heating up the water in the shower.

While he waited he glanced at his reflection in the mirror, being taken aback by the large dark circles that had formed under his eyes. The last time he looked this rough was probably during finals week when he stayed up for almost two days cramming only to still get less than average grades. What a stupid waste of time. He didn’t even like political science but it was the path his father had chosen for him. If he’d actually had the courage to question his father’s judgement and pursue a different career path maybe he wouldn’t have performed so poorly in school. Then again, his own judgement didn’t seem to be panning out so well either, as it so happens.

The fogging of the mirror meant that the water had been sufficiently heated and he turned to shut the door before weakly stripping himself down to nothing, letting his clothes fall into a haphazard pile on the floor. He stepped into the shower, his nerves immediately settling down once the water hit his skin. Hot water really was one of life’s greatest pleasures. And at this point, he took whatever small pleasures he could when he was able to find them.

Breathe in, _slowly_ , hold. Breathe out, slowly, hold. The breathing technique his uncle had taught him many years ago to ease the mind. It took him some time to really master it, because he was always impatient and would take too short of breaths or they would come out more as aggravated sighs. But once he realized how to utilize proper meditative breathing he did find that it actually helped to make him feel better and think more clearly, without the fog of frustration from whatever had been bothering him.

This time, instead of helping him come to a solution, he only felt himself grow more and more tired and any problem solving or critical thinking to be had was blocked by the looming presence of fatigue. Well, at least he was more relaxed than before. So there was that.

-

When Jet returned he peeked into the living room to see his phone and laptop on the coffee table but no sign of Li. He did tell him that he was free to turn in whenever, so that’s most likely what he ended up doing. Upon further investigation he could see that the door to his bedroom was ajar and a bar of light was filtering through the bottom of the bathroom door. The faint sound of running water could also be heard.

 _Probably best to just give him his space,_ Jet thought, placing the crinkly plastic bags from his errands on the counter. In the back of his mind he did wonder where exactly Li was planning on going from here. Not to mention if his car would even turn up. Whoever stole it could be halfway across the country by now. From the sounds of it he didn’t have any friends or family nearby to lend him a hand either.

He stood with his hand on his hip, his other hand holding the toothpick in his mouth, rolling it between his fingers in contemplation. It was a situation he could certainly empathize with. Although Jet did pretty well on his own now that hadn’t always been the case. He would hate for Li to end up going down a similar path that he did when he was caught at a dead end. Things must have been pretty bad for him to have resorted to running away from home.

Nevertheless, there wasn’t much that could be done now. Perhaps the morning would bring a shift in luck for Li. There was another part of him though, that hoped he would stay. Even if it was only for a little while longer. He could chalk it up to loneliness or boredom, but if he was being completely honest with himself, there was something about Li that he’d been drawn to ever since he first laid eyes on him. Whether that be the feeling of a kindred spirit or something more. Maybe that’s why he felt the need to help him out the way he did.

Or maybe he’d just spent too much time out here and was starting to go crazy.

Yeah, that was probably more accurate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who's commented so far, it seriously makes my day and really motivates me to keep writing! I wanted to put this chapter out earlier but I was in the middle of moving so things were a bit hectic. 
> 
> P.S.  
> Do you know who the woman in the picture is? She's a canon ATLA character and I honestly thought she'd be perfect for the role I'm planning for her. 
> 
> Also, slow burns are hard for me because I almost exclusively write smut (don't worry, that's going to happen eventually!) but I really want to challenge myself with doing something a little more deliberate and reliant on the setting. I hope you enjoy! <3


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